To be a Hunter
by Puggle-Rock
Summary: There was one more survivor of the Kuruta clan. Her name was Mishka, the younger sister of Kurapika. Join her on her adventures with Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio as she learns who she is as a person as well as becoming less dependant on her brother.


**Let's get the legal stuff out of the way first. I do not own Hunter x Hunter or Hunter x Hunter 2011. All rights and ownership go to the following: Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Shonen, Kazuhiro Furuhashi, Nobuaki Kishima, Nippon Animation, Viz Media, Fuji TV, Funimation Channel, Satoshi Saga, Yukihiro Matsushite, Makoto Sato, Hiroshi Kojina, Atsushi Maekawa, Tsutomu Kamishiro, Madhouse, NTV, Yuzo Sato, Shoji Yonemura and last but not least Keiichiro Kawaguchi. Whew.**

Second thing - this fanfiction is being written by the 2011 anime. That means you'll basically be reading the episodes. This is because at this current moment of time, I can't think of any other way to implement the OC, so I thought I'd start from the beginning entirely. Enjoy!  


* * *

_Burning. Burning and screaming. Burning, screaming and running. This is what I remember and this is what haunts my dreams and sanity every night and every day. When everyone you know dies around you and you along with your sibling become the only survivors, you learn that the world is a cruel and dark place. The world is not brightly coloured and beautiful like it was painted to be by those around you. No. No it's much different._

___I; I had to grow up quickly and learn to fight to survive along with my sibling. We protect each other and we protect ourselves. Without my sibling, I would probably not be alive right now, breathing the same air as him, walking the same road as him, searching for the same thing as him. No. I would be six foot under the ground, breathing the dirt he walked on._

_I look up to my brother; he is the strongest person I know. The bravest person I know. The smartest person I know. But then again, I know no one else. He has taught me much, he bared the awkward questioning stage from me as we travelled and grew stronger, I have yet to grow out of this stage and many things still confuse me; but I know he will answer them. Whilst I admire my brother to know end; I also pity him. He has had to teach me everything I know, he has had to put up with my temper tantrums over the past, he and only he alone has had to do this._

_I love my brother; I would be nothing without him. For that reason, I have never left his side._

* * *

The cool sea air blew through my blonde hair and pushed my fringe out from my face. The salt in the air made my eyes water somewhat, a price to pay for being on a boat I suppose. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly, pulling my hair forward and running my fingers through it to make it neat once more. It fell to the middle of my back. I never tied it back, instead I just had the same ribbon in it from when I was small. A simple red and blue ribbon tied in a bow that kept the strands of hair that would usually fall around my face at bay. Like my brother, I wore traditional clothing; but it was different for girls. We didn't wear tabards like the boys; instead we wore a simple long sleeved dress that was dark blue in colour but with the same red patterning on it. The sleeves covered my hands leaving only the finger tips visible as the dress stopped mid-thigh, and hung loosely about two inches off my shoulder. On my feet were blue flat shoes, but was the only thing that was worn the same by boys and girls.

There were many more people on this boat, some were reading and others looked like people you wouldn't want to get caught in a dark alley with. If anything, I felt petrified and stood closely next to my brother, holding onto the back of his tabard tightly in fear that maybe he would leave. But he didn't mind, he knew I was nervous around everyone, and almost everything. He would even say to me "If you didn't know your shadow was attached to you, I think you would be afraid of that to." He was right though, I probably would be. I heard muttering from the groups of men. They all said the same thing, "Why is there a little girl on this boat?" and "The hunter exam is no place for children." That may have been true, but I needed to do this, I had to help my brother. Only I and I alone could help him in the task we set ourselves.

We had stopped at an Island by the name of Whale Island. The captain of the ship said that there was an applicant here that would need to be picked up. I walked over to the side of the boat and looked down timidly at the people who were there, before backing away one more to hide by the side of my brother once more. There was so many and for who shocked me. There were so many people there, for one kid, who looked my age. He had black and green spikey hair, wore a green jacket and green shorts with long green trainer like boots. He carried a fishing pole and yellow back pack. Whoever he was, he seemed happy, welcome, praised by the people of the Island. It made me smile. This Island was untouched by harm; it had never seen evil or hatred and would probably never will. I was glad. I looked up to my brother who was looking out to the sea deep in thought. I sighed slightly, looking back at the boy who was waving to the locals as the boat began moving once more towards our destination, the locals all yelling at him with words like "good luck" and "knock 'em dead." They had so much faith in this one boy.

Even though the Island was out of sight the boy continued to yell.  
"I'm going to become the best Hunter in the world! Once I become the best hunter in the world, I'll come back!" Those were the words he yelled. I couldn't help but admire the boy from the distance, he seemed so happy. My brother must have noticed as I could feel him move slightly.  
"What are you looking at, Mishka?" He asked me, making me snap my head up to look up at him directly into his grey, contacted eyes.  
"That boy." I said to him quite simply turning my attention back to him. My brother looked in the direction I looked and nodded his head before looking back out to the sea once more, diving straight into his thoughts once more. Even though the boys' words made me smile with hope for him, it didn't do the same for the others on the boat. One of the men chuckled, making me look at him along with the boy.  
"The best hunter in the world? Kid doesn't respect us." The man said as he looked over his shoulder to the boy.  
"Every year there are millions of skilled applicants for the Hunter Exam. But only a handful are selected. Don't say stuff that you can't back up boy." Another man said with the same sitting in the same position, gazing at him with the same hysterical look. I took a small step to stay behind my brother, once again holding onto his blue and red tabard tightly with my brows furrowed. They really wanted to put this boy down for whatever reason. The men laughed as the boy walked forward and between them before looking around.

A shout was heard from below making the boy look forward. My eyes never left him as I continued to watch him from the safety of my brothers back.  
"What are you doing, Katsuo?" A man asked. The boy looked down at the deck below. I was curious, but I was too afraid to leave my brothers side; I stayed glued to where I was.  
"At this rate you'll never make a decent sailor." Another voice said, before a gasp was heard with the sound of more laughing. My curiosity took over my fear as I slowly let go of my brothers' tabard and walked over quietly to the edge of the upper deck myself. Putting my hands on the barrier I could see three men. One was over a box of green apples whilst two were laughing at him. The kid in green had begun walking down the stairs towards the men until the door opened making me snap my head in that direction.  
"Hey, losers! Don't slack off!" A mad with a big red nose said coming out of the cabin underneath where I was standing. He smelt of alcohol making me cover my nose with my sleeve covered hands and close my eyes tightly. It wasn't a pleasant smell. I opened one eye, watching him walk back over to the boy to the guy on the floor as the other two quickly ran off; almost fearful for this intoxicated man. He stopped in front of the guy picked up the apples.  
"Hey, didn't you hear me? Move that box!" The man yelled at him, making me flinch slightly as I watched the scene unfold. He was rude to that poor guy with the blue bandana.  
"Hold on." A younger voice said. I looked over myself with the two men and saw it was the kid with the two coloured hair. He was holding one of the green apples in his hand, a smile on his face. He chucked it underarm style to the box. The guy thanked him before running off to continue his work. I looked at him in pure amazement. He was brave, I could admit that. If that was me….well, it wouldn't have been me simple as. The guy would have been scolded still and that apple would have been left on the ground to rot. I didn't have that bravery.

The gulls above us started talking making me look up.  
"Are they meant to be this close to land?" I questioned myself quietly, bringing my hands down from my nose and letting them dangle loosely at my sides.  
"A storm's coming." The boy said, making me look at him. How did he know? Could he talk to them? Did he understand their language? I only knew our common spoken language, the one written with lots of dots and symbols. I didn't know any others. The captain must have thought the same as he began questioning the boy.  
"How can you tell, boy?" He asked him, bringing the brown bottle down from his lips. The boy pointed to the sky.  
"That's what the seagulls are saying." He said seriousness evident in his voice. So he could understand them and speak their language. I looked up once more, before walking away from the barrier. If what that boy said was true, then I had to tell my brother. I stood beside my brother once more, once again holding onto his tabard, it was a comfort thing more than anything, and I knew he wouldn't leave if I held it.  
"Big brother a storm is coming." I said to him timidly and quietly. I could feel him shift his weight.  
"How do you know?" He asked me, making me look up at him slightly. I meant his questioning gaze, before looking up at the sky again, pointing to the gulls like that boy did.  
"The boy said that they said a storm was coming." I said to him, bringing my hand down and looking at my brother, a large smile on my face.

That boy was right, a storm did come. It was huge. It made the boat rock as if it was nothing more than just a leaf in a puddle. I hated storms, I hated the thunder and lightning that came with it. Men and belongings were being thrown around the place. My brother was lying in one of the hammocks reading one of his books. I was standing next to him, my feet turned slightly inward as I stood on my toes to look over his shoulder to see what he was reading. I held onto the hammock tightly through my sleeve covered hands so I wouldn't lose my balance. He kept his arm around my shoulder to help me keep my balance as he continued to hold onto the book with both his hands. I could hear that boy speaking and looked away from my brother's book to watch him. He was giving one of the passengers some herbs. I questioned myself though, what was making me so interested in this boy? Was it because the only human contact I had was my brother? Was it because there was someone else who was possibly my age that I might have a chance of talking to? Was it because I might actually make a friend? I didn't know about the last one, but I was almost certain the other two were true. I watched him with full interest, my eyes locked on him as he helped the crew members. I felt my brothers' arm move slightly as he too looked over to the boy, making a small noise of interest. I looked at my brother, smiling widely and closing my eyes before opening them and looking back over at the boy once more.

We were called into the captains' room. Me, that boy, my brother and another man who was tall with dark sunglasses. He stood with his hands in his pockets and slightly hunched up. I stood next to my brother near the window, standing once more slightly behind him whilst holding onto his tabard. I didn't know who this intoxicated smelling man was apart from knowing he was the captain; he could have been dangerous, but he didn't seem dangerous earlier whilst bossing about that guy from earlier. The captain stood with his hands in his pockets as he looked over us over his big red nose.  
"First, tell me your names." He demanded from us taking me back slightly as I scooted behind my brother that little bit more. I wasn't very tall, I came up to my brothers' elbow, I must have looked silly and very childish; but I was terrified of this stranger. To think, I was twelve.  
"I'm Gon!" The boy in green announced, raising his hand into the air.  
"I'm Kurapika." My brother said next, keeping his stern look at the man with the red nose. His voice was calming, but it didn't calm my nerves.  
"It's Leorio." Said the man with his hands in his pockets.  
"I'm Mishka." I said lastly, although it was quiet and barely audible.  
"Speak up, girl." The man said looking over at me with a stern look on his face making me stiffen up.  
"I'm Mishka!" I said more loudly this time and closed my eyes shut hiding behind my brother some more. He left me alone after that, something I was grateful for, he was a scary man.

"Why do you want to become hunters?" He questioned us some more. Was it really his business though? I looked at him questionably myself, half my face being visible from behind my brothers arm.  
"Hey! If you're not an examiner, you can't boss us around!" Leorio said to the man, removing a hand from his pocket to point at him. I looked at the man along with Gon, he did hold a valid point, but it was also a simple question. I would not answer it though, not if Kurapika wasn't.  
"Just answer the question!" The man said annoyance evident in his voice. Gon looked back at the captain once more, smiling widely as he did.  
"My dad is a Hunter. I left Whale Island because I want to know why my dad desired so much to be a Hunter." He said to him, raising his fist, a determined look on his face. I moved out from behind my brother slightly to take a good look at him. He seemed so pleased and proud of the man he called his father. I looked at him with my eyes wide in amazement. He had a goal, that one fixated goal that he wanted to reach. I admired him for it even though I hardly knew him.  
"Hey kid!" Leorio said grabbing both mine and Gon's attention. I came out from behind my brother, standing in between him and Gon whilst still holding his tabard.  
"You're not supposed to answer his question!" He said his hands on his hips as he looked at Gon with a stern but scolding look. I furrowed my brows a bit, wanting to speak up, but I couldn't. I couldn't find the voice to do it.  
"Why can't I tell him why I'm here?" Gon questioned him. I wondered the same if I wasn't, but that didn't make me want to answer the captain even more.  
"Not a team player, huh? I don't wish to reveal why I'm here." He said, poking and pushing Gons' forehead with his index finger making him fall back slightly. I quickly placed my free hand onto Gons' back in fear that he would fall over from Leorio's push.  
"I agree with Leorio." Kurapika said, making me look up at him as he closed his eyes but still held that same neutral yet calm look on his face. I remained quiet and removed my hand from Gons' back as Leorio removed his finger from Gons' forehead, allowing him to stand straight once more.  
"What? Hey! Aren't you younger than I am? Show some respect!" He said to my brother, pointing a finger at him. He was ignored however by Kurapika. I found myself looking between the two.  
"It's quite simple to avoid pesky questions by offering a plausible lie." He said, opening his eyes and looking back at the captain. Leorio began ranting once more, asking if he was even listening to him. I remained unnoticed by the frustrated man, something I was also glad for.  
"However, it is quite shameful to rely upon deceit. That said, if I were to tell you the truth, I would be exposing my deepest secrets. That is why I cannot provide an answer." Kurapika explained to him, closing his eyes once more whilst putting a hand onto the front of his tabard where his heart was and gripping it tightly.  
"Hey you, don't ignore me!" Leorio said waving his arm at Kurapika. The captain looked at me as I turned my attention back to him. I could feel Gons' eyes on me waiting for an answer.  
"I…I also can't tell! I'm sorry but…I stand with my brother." I said to him, going back into my shell and hiding behind my brother once more so I that I was out of sight. Pathetic, that's how I felt. I closed my eyes tightly, hoping that the world would go away if I did, of course, it didn't work like that; I had learnt to know that the hard way.  
"In other words, you refuse to answer my question. Hey, Katsuo. Tell the examination board that we have three more dropouts." He said, making me, Kurapika and Leorio look at him with shock. I furrowed my brow as my brothers' mouth hung slightly open at the sudden statement from the captain. I couldn't help but hold onto his tabard a little tighter through my sleeved hand. That was it…we were going back. It would have been fine, if we had somewhere to return to. I stepped out from behind my brother that little bit more so that half my body was visible.  
"What do you mean?" Leorio questioned him as the captain smoked him pipe with his eyes closed.  
"You still haven't figured it out? The hunter examination has already begun." He said, opening his eyes and looked at us three, a bored expression sitting on his face.  
"What?" All three of us asked in shock. I didn't know, I immediately regretted my decision not to tell. But my brother, if I had told and my brother still didn't, I would be continuing without him; I couldn't do that, no, I just couldn't! It was almost conflicting, I didn't know if I should tell him now and leave my brother behind, or get thrown off with him and try again next year.

The ship hit another wave, making it move with so much force that I almost lost balance. I clung onto my brother for dear life as he put his hand onto my outside shoulder to keep me balanced. I was not a graceful creature on a moving boat in a storm. Much more graceful on unmoving land.  
"There are as many Hunter wannabes. As there are stars in the sky. The examiners don't have time or resources to review them all. So they hire people like us to trim the fat." The captain explained, removing his pipe from his mouth as he looked at the three of us. I couldn't help but think that that made sense. After all, that guy on the boat earlier before the storm has said there were thousands of Hunter applicants; no one had time to go through that.  
"I've already notified the board that everyone else on the ship had to withdraw. If they couldn't handle a little storm, they'd stand no chance in the Hunter examination's later stage." He explained some more. Those words made me flinch. I was lucky; I had my brother supporting me, keeping me upright all through the storm so far, if he wasn't there, I too would be going home. I couldn't help but look at the ground in shame, angry at myself that I was here on pure luck.  
"In other words, you only proceed to the main exam if I pass you. So think carefully before you answer my question." He said finally, putting the pipe back into his mouth. I looked up at Kurapika, who had closed his eyes once again; he felt the same thing I did, shame.  
"So he says…" Gon said making me look at him with some shock.  
"Do you think he's lying?" I asked him in a voice only audible to them. Gon looked back at me and smiled widely about to answer, before looking up at the ceiling to think, his arms crossed over his chest and brows furrowed in thought.  
"I don't know." He said simply making me look at him in surprise. He seemed so sure. I couldn't help but let out a small laugh with a small smile on my face, which was returned with a smile of his own. I didn't feel as silly anymore; it began feeling quite relaxing in the room.  
"Should have told us sooner." Leorio commented with anger in his voice making me wipe the smile off my face. He was scary, he always seemed so angry over something that it was unsettling. I began to think that maybe, one day he would just snap. Kurapika removed his hand from my shoulder and moved it back to his side as I let go of his tabard and stood with my hands by my own sides.  
"We are the last survivors of the Kuruta clan." He said. I turned my attention away from Gon as the two boys snapped their hands to look at Kurapika for him to continue his explanation.  
"Four years ago, our clan was annihilated by a band of criminals. I wish to become a Hunter and hunt down that band, the Phantom Troupe." He explained to him, determination on his face. He looked at the captain with that determination. Kurapika had let out his biggest secret, at least that's what I thought.  
"So you want to become a bounty Hunter? The Phantom Troupe is a Class-A bounty. Not even the most grizzled Hunters can touch them. You'd be throwing your life away." The captain said trying to get him to change his mind, that's what it seemed like to me anyway. I looked between the two, moving my hands to the front of my dress and fiddling with the hem. It was an uncomfortable subject, I couldn't think of my brother not being here, my world would crumble and be nothing more than darkness.  
"I do not fear death. I fear only that my rage will fade over time." His eyes turned red with his sentence for a split second before fading back to his contacted grey ones. Not even his contacts could hide the eye colour change, something I always wondered. It was the reason why I never understood why Kurapika wore contacts in the first place if it did not hide the colour change.

The captain looked at me, waiting for my explanation. It took a moment for me to realise he was, and when I did I couldn't help but jump slightly. I could feel two more pairs of eyes on me making me look at who they belonged to before looking back at the captain.  
"I….I am the same. I wish to hunt down the people that destroyed everything." I said to him, looking down slightly, wondering if that was my actual reason for coming here or maybe it was something else. I looked back at the captain once more, putting my own determined look on; the best one I could muster anyway.  
"I wish to help my brother anyway I can to track them down!" I said to him looking at the captain, straight into his eyes with my blue ones. I held onto the hem of my a little tighter as I struggled to maintain eye contact. This is the reason I kept telling myself why I was here, to help my brother, that was my reason. But was it really?  
"So in other words, you two want revenge. Does that require that you both to become a Hunter?" Leorio said, breaking me out of my best determined look as I looked at him with my brows furrowed. I could feel Gon was still staring between me and my brother still.  
"That may be the stupidest question I've ever heard, Leorio." Kurapika said, closing his eyes once more. I snapped my head towards my brother, he spoke his mind, and I shouldn't have been so shocked. But it always shocked me when he did. It made Leorio snap in anger at him.  
"That's Leorio-san to you!" He said to him, holding his fists close to his own face with an annoyed look sitting on it.  
"Places accessible only to Hunters… Information otherwise unobtainable… Actions otherwise impossible… There are more reasons than your brain could possibly handle." He said to him which only angered Leorio even more.  
"Big brother…" I said to him furrowing my brows slightly. The last thing we needed was enemies, more of them at least. I was thankful when I heard Gon move and speak to Leorio, he seemed to have diverted his rage. I looked between Gon and Leorio as Gon asked him why he wanted to become a hunter.  
"Me? I'll make it short. I want money. Money can get you everything! A big house! A nice car! Good liquor!" He said with happiness in his voice as he animated the actions for the things he planned to get. I tilted my head confused at him.  
"Liquor? But that stuff smells awful!" I said to him shuddering slightly and closing my eyes tightly whilst making a sick like face. I could hear Gon smile at me making open my eyes and smile back at him.  
"Hm? Well of course it would to a kid like you." He said, sticking his hands back into his pockets and leaning his face to my level making me jump and step back behind Kurapika once more; holding onto his tabard tightly again. I guess this is what happens when I try to socialize.  
"You can't buy class with Money, Leorio." Kurapika said, diverting Leorio's attention to him. I looked up at my brother with a questioning look as Leorio looked at him annoyed.  
"That's three times now. Step outside. I'll end the filthy Kuruta bloodline, here and now." He said to him, moving to go outside. I looked at Leorio shocked as Kurapika stepped away from me, ripping his tabard out from my grasp at the same time.  
"Take that back, Leorio!" He demanded from him, anger evident in his voice as he spoke. I furrowed my brows, our bloodline wasn't filthy! But the words still hurt. I couldn't help but look down closing my eyes tightly; I couldn't deal with things that sounded hateful or hurtful towards our clan. I could hear Leorio stop walking.  
"Take that back." Kurapika demanding once more, getting angrier by the second.  
"That's Leorio-san to you." He said walking once more. I opened my eyes to hear and see my brother walking after him. I gasped slightly in shock and took a step forward myself as the captain spoke after them.  
"Just let them go." Gon said making us all look at him. "Mito-san once told me…If you want to get to know someone, you need to make an effort to learn why they're angry. It's important for them to understand why they're mad. So we should let them settle it themselves." He said, looking at the captain and then back at the door. I looked at Gon in pure amazement, but that soon vanished when I remembered what Leorio said. It made me look at the ground, furrowing my brows and hunching over my shoulders.  
"He said we were filthy." I said quietly, mostly to myself.  
"I'm sure he didn't mean it, he's probably just angry." Gon said, making me snap my head up to look at him. He wore a large smile making me smile back a little and nod my head making a small "uh-huh" noise.

I and Gon had gone with Katsuo to help lower the sails. There was a massive tornado coming out way, I was terrified, but I had to move, I had to help. I feared for my brothers' safety, he was up on the deck planning to fight Leorio for the insult to our clan. I had to help him, but I couldn't leave Gon or Katsuo alone, they needed help more. Our feet splashed across the deck as we ran to the sails and pulled on the ropes to bring it down. I stood behind Gon pulling as hard as I could as Katsuo stood with another group pulling the rope.  
"Hurry! The Waterspout is going to catch us!" One of the sailors yelled as we all pulled on the ropes. I could feel the nylon burning my hands as we pulled the wet material. It was starting to give me blisters. I didn't fight with weapons like my brother, I relied on hand to hand combat, so my hands were not used to handling things, and they were still soft and easily damaged. I had to admit, I was struggling, and the rope kept slipping in my hands. A strong gust of wind hit the shipping, sending a few of the sailors off the rope. I felt myself lose my footing and held onto the rope tightly as I slipped onto my front, my body slamming against the deck.  
"Are you OK, Mishka?" I heard Gon ask as he looked back at me. I slowly got up and held the rope tightly again and nodded my head, with a determined look on my face. Gon just smiled back and nodded his head once more as we both separated our feet to get better footing. We both heard a yell and looked in the direction at came from. Katsuo was being swung by the rope and thrown off the edge.  
"Katsuo-san!" Gon yelled as we watched him get thrown towards my brother and Leorio. The two dived for him over the ship, grabbing the banister so they wouldn't fall in themselves but missed. I and Gon ran over to the two. Gon dived over himself and grabbed Katsuo by his wrists with my brother and Leorio grabbing him by his ankles. I stopped at the banister, ready to help pull them up.  
"Pull 'em up now." Leorio said as the two pulled them both out of the water. When Gon was closer to the banister I grabbed onto his jacket, leaning over the banister myself, I could hear running as I was bent at my waist, only my toes not even touching the ground, instead, I had to rely that I wouldn't fall into the drink after them. I could feel hands on my sides pulling my up as I pulled Gon up with me.

The storm subsided, leaving only a chilling breeze behind it and the strong smell of salt. It made my eyes water and my nose tingle. Me and Gon were sat in front of Kurapika and Leorio, being scolded for what we had did. Gon was leaning against the raised ground, one knee raised and the other on the floor, his elbows leaning against the raised ground. I sat with my legs either side of me, bent at the knee and my hands in my lap. I hated being scolded by my brother, it made me feel small.  
"You idiots! If we hadn't grabbed your legs, you'd be shark bait now." Leorio said, scolding Gon.  
"And if those guys hadn't grabbed your sides, you could have fallen in." Kurapika said, giving me a stern and scolding look. I furrowed my brow and looked away from the scolding look.  
"Honestly… How reckless can you two be?" Kurapika continued, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes, his best "I'm mad at you" expression on his face.  
"But you did catch me. You both caught me."  
"And those guys did help me." Both I and Gon said to them, although Gon said it with a happier tune to his voice whilst I spoke more defensively. The two guys looked at us as Gon smiled at them. I couldn't help but smile a little bit, it was nice having Gon there, he seemed to make getting scolded easier, maybe it was because his attitude was one of a carefree person. Kurapika and Leorios' faces softened. Leorio stood almost dumfounded as Kurapika looked away trying to keep a stern face, but failing miserably.  
"Well, I guess so…" Leorio said, his voice being one mixed with confusion. I couldn't help but smile at the softened expression on my brothers' face.  
"Gon!" A familiar voice yelled making us all look into that direction. We saw Katsuo running towards us he seemed grateful for what Gon had done, the gratefulness was written all over his face. Gon stood up as I stayed sitting on the floor. My front hurt more than anything after slamming the deck hard in the rain, I could feel it start to bruise slightly.  
"Thanks, Gon! You saved my life." He said, thanking the green wearing boy.  
"I couldn't have done it alone. These three help save you." Gon said, turning himself to face Kurapika and Leorio slightly and pointing to me with a large smile on his face. The two guys seemed taken back and I was no exception, I too was taken back. I helped save someone? I helped save someone's life? Me? No….did I? I couldn't help but smile widely to myself, my eyes widening in excitement that I had been some use to somebody. I closed my eyes tightly bowing my own head with the large smile still sitting on it. I was overly happy, probably happier than I should have been.  
"Thank you very much!" Katsuo said bowing his head in gratitude. My brother was taken back as he turned his head away and spoke to him.  
"No, you don't need to thank me." Kurapika said, almost shocked by the gratitude.  
"Well… Yeah, I'm glad you're OK." Leorio said shock evident in his own voice. I was at a loss for words. I didn't know what to say to that. I kept quiet, with the large smile still sitting on my face and my eyes closed tightly, I was so happy.  
"Yeah! So I'll be returning to my station!" He said, bringing his head back up once more. I looked between Kurapika and Leorio again, standing up myself as Katsuo left and straightened out my skirt. My clothes were damp and stuck to me, making me fidget from the un-comfortableness of the wet fabric.

Both me and Gon looked back to my brother and Leorio, wondering if they were going to fight once more or if they were going to be more mature and apologise to each other.  
"I apologise for my rude behaviour. Sorry, Leorio-san." Kurapika apologised to Leorio, only making my smile much wider. I was glad, he stepped down from his pride and apologised for something he did. Leorio stepped back slightly, taken back by my brothers' gesture.  
"Wh-what's with the sudden change? We sound like strangers…. Just call me Leorio… Leorio works." He said waving his hand in a dismissal like exchange. My smile could only get wider; if it had gotten any wider I was sure it would have torn my face in half. I looked at my brother to see him smile somewhat as well.  
"I'm also sorry. I take back everything I said. I was wrong." Leorio said as my brother said that it was OK. Me and Gon looked at each other and smiled widely, both glad that the two guys had decided to act maturely and their age.  
"You were right." I said to him quietly as Gon nodded his head, keeping the smile on his face as I kept mine. We heard laughing and turned our heads to see who it belonged to. It belonged to the captain; he leaned against the door way, pipe in hand. We all looked at him.  
"I like you guys! Okay. I'll take responsibility for bringing you four to the port closet to the exam site." The captain said to us. Me and Gon looked at him with hopeful eyes.  
"Really?" Both of us said at the same time as the captain began walking up the stairs to the upper deck. Was he speaking the truth? We only hoped so.  
"What about your test?" Gon asked him, making me wonder as well as my smile died down once more, looking at him questionably. He stopped walking and turned his head slightly towards us.  
"Like I said… It's my decision to make. And all four of you pass!" He said loudly and proudly. Leorio smiled to himself as Kurapika closed his eyes with a relieved smile. Gon had raised his fist into the air and jumped shouting "yay!" as I smiled widely and into the air myself shouting "yay!" along with Gon. I couldn't have been any happier then I was right then. I looked at my brother with a wide smile on my face as he gave one back himself. I was glad, over the moon, to be here and to have passed the first test. For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I was out seeking revenge with my brother, I didn't feel like I was the last survivor of a dead clan, alone in this world. No. For the time time, I felt like a child, a naive, carefree, worry-less child. I couldn't have been happier.


End file.
